Despite being down on rotations due to early injuries to midfielders Leigh Adams and Daniel Wells, the Roos showed fantastic grit to win a nail-biter.
Little separated the teams all night, but the Roos found an extra gear in the final term to win 15.10 (100) to 11.10 (76).
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The victory lifted the Roos above Geelong to sixth spot on the table while Essendon stays eighth. However, the Dons face a demanding run home and could potentially miss the finals.
More to come
ESSENDON 5.2 8.6 9.10 11.10 (76)
NORTH MELBOURNE 6.2 8.4 11.7 15.10 (100)
GOALS
Essendon: Davey 3, Hurley 3, Crameri, Lovett-Murray, Lonergan, Melksham, Watson
North Melbourne: Harvey 3, Hansen 3, Tarrant 3, Garlett 2, Gibson 2, Wells, Wright
BEST
Essendon: Watson, Fletcher, Bellchambers, Colyer, Davey, Hurley,
North Melbourne: Harvey, Wright, McMahon, Swallow, Grima, Gibson, Goldstein, Anthony
INJURIES
Essendon: TBC
North Melbourne: Leigh Adams (left shoulder), Daniel Wells (calf)
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Scott Gumbleton replaced by Angus Monfries in the third quarter
North Melbourne: Leigh Adams (left shoulder) replaced by Matt Campbell in the first quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Meredith, McInerney
Official crowd: 42,674 at Etihad Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.
